The John H Watson Society

Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma

by Larry Millett
University of Minnesota Press (February 2017)
240 p. ISBN 9781517900861

Publisher’s Summary

Dogged by depression, doubt, and—as a trip to the Mayo Clinic has revealed—emphysema, 66-year-old Sherlock Holmes is preparing to return to England when he receives a shock: a note slipped under his hotel room door, from a vicious murderer he’d nearly captured in Munich in 1892. The murderer, known as the Monster of Munich, announces that he has relocated to Eisendorf, a tiny village near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

If Holmes is not what he once was, the same can be said for Eisendorf: once a thriving community founded by German idealists but now a dying town with only forty residents—two of whom have, indeed, died recently under highly mysterious circumstances. Replete with all the gothic richness of Larry Millett’s earlier Holmes novels, Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma links events in 1892 Germany with those in small-town Minnesota in 1920 in a double mystery that tests the aging detective’s mettle—and the reader’s nerve—as never before.

Guided by Eisendorf’s peculiar archivist and taunted by the Monster, Holmes finds himself drawn into the town’s dark history of violence and secrecy, and into the strange tunnels that underscore the old flour mill where answers, and grievous danger, lie in wait. No longer the cool, flawless logician of times past, Holmes must nonetheless match wits with a fiendish opponent who taunts him right up to a final, explosive confrontation.

General Review

Taking place during the Retirement Years, even past World War I, Eisendorf Enigma is a fun, fast-paced mystery.  I was very excited when NetGalley sent me an ARC of Millett’s latest Sherlock Holmes novel- growing up, his novels were some of the first pastiches I encountered- and I’m deeply grateful to them for the opportunity to read this book in advance and comment on it.

The story begins quickly, almost abruptly, with the reader being introduced to several things at once, including Holmes’ illness and his history in Munich, before we find ourselves in Eisendorf itself, meeting our cast of suspects.  Eisendorf is a miniscule German village in Minnesota, and it’s layered in secrets.  It is fascinating to see Holmes attempt to tease out information from people when literally everyone he meets lies to him or misdirects him, and the only records he can consult are written by the same people who are lying to him.  Although the book starts very quickly, it soon adjusts to a slower, more measured pace that absolutely suits the very Southern Gothic atmosphere of this book.  We spend a great deal of time meeting the inhabitants of the town, few as they are, and learning the history and the founding of Eisendorf.  In between these moments, we flash back to 1892 Munich, when Holmes first encountered the serial killer known as the Monster.  The two stories are woven together well, each contributing new insights to the other.

Millett has always been phenomenal at writing eccentrics (many familiar with the series will well remember Shadwell Rafferty, who dominated Millett’s later books; while Rafferty appears in this book, he is not a main character), and it shines through here.  Eisendorf is full of strange people.  There’s the archivist, who notes down every detail of the town and whom Holmes cannot unravel; the young woman with a childish spirit who wears angel wings and claims to know secrets; the recluse who threatens Holmes whenever they meet; the outcast whose actions during World War I endangered much of the town; the town leader and his wife, who make for an odd pair; and the widow, that Holmes finds captivating.  The secondary characters are delightful, and it is enjoyable trying to sort out which among them may have a motive and committed the crimes Holmes is investigating.

Millett’s descriptions are lush and rich, and anyone who likes to craft a good visual in their head will appreciate his attention to detail with the setting.  Minnesota is a beautiful place, and the author’s descriptions create a written picture that will match any photos you pull up on the Internet or in a book.

The first two-thirds of the book are from a third-person perspective, following Holmes, which could be disconcerting for readers used to Watson’s first-person perspective.  Thankfully, in the last third of the book, we return to what we are used to.  The first part of the book is still well done, however, if occasionally too willing to repeat internal thoughts of Holmes’ that don’t need to be stated with such frequency.

It’s a charming, quick book, and I enjoyed it immensely.  I hope Millett will consider writing more works in this timeline, one rarely explored by pastiche writers.  It would be lovely to have a set of books that focus on the cases of Holmes and Watson, well past retirement and post-World War I.

What About Our Watson?

For a while, I feared I would have little to report on the Watson front.  The first two-thirds of the book feature Holmes by himself, without any of his usual allies or friends, in Eisendorf.  I was fully prepared to write about the occasional affectionate thoughts that Holmes has for Watson, and to note that his brief appearance at the beginning is pleasant, if unsatisfying for the dedicated Watsonian.

Thankfully, however, Watson makes a heroic entrance towards the end, and while he doesn’t get to contribute much in the solving of the mystery, his personality comes through in spades.  Watson rushes off to America, leaving his irate second wife behind (the second Mrs. Watson is not well liked by Holmes, or the author it would seem) in order to get to Holmes’ side.  He is shown to be an excellent doctor, whose medical opinion Holmes trusts above all others, and is quick to follow through on Holmes’ strange requests.  His sarcastic humor comes out at the most unexpected times, much to my amusement.

While there isn’t as much Watson content as I would like, when Watson is there, he is very recognizably Watson.

You Might Like This Book If You Like:

Minnesota; small town histories; Southern Gothic mysteries; ruminations on age and illness

Test of the Professionals I: The Adventure of the Flying Blue Pidgeon

by Marcia Wilson
MXPublishing (December 2016)
273 p. ISBN 9781787050297

Publisher’s Summary

Lestrade panted, getting to his feet as the gang of Cheathams fell back. “Right now I can think of worse things than rescue by an amateur detective.”

“My dear Lestrade, we’re simply ensuring the fight is fair.” Sherlock Holmes somehow dissuaded the truth of that by the way his lips were coiling up at the edges (without letting go of the pipe in his teeth). Perhaps it was because he was clearly in disguise as a seedy deckhand in Dutchman’s sailing clothes.

From behind him the little professional could see Dr. Watson, tarred like a sailor and armed with a wicked-looking blackthorn.

“Well, then!” Lestrade crowed with his fist up and parallel to the looming swarm over the tavern. “Who is next?”

General Summary

The second in Marcia Wilson’s series about Scotland Yard (the first being You Buy Bones, a book all Watsonians should look into because of its focus on Watson), The Adventure of the Flying Blue Pidgeon does not disappoint.  This is a book that is clearly setting up for a series, a possibly a lengthy one, given that it begins in the early 1880s and gives us a glimpse at Moriarty and his maneuvers from the get-go.

The story focuses on Lestrade, and does incredibly well by him.  He is depicted as competent above all else, with his approach to policework being less about the mind (such as Gregson and Holmes) and more about getting out and finding evidence.  It is the difference between, if I may borrow from another book series, a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw- both approaches are useful, just different.  Lestrade is granted a dignity he so often lacks in other stories, as is the rest of Scotland Yard.  We have a number of Canon Inspectors and Constables appear and each of them has a unique personality and history that is consistent with what we see of them in the original stories.  We also get a look at what policing in the 1880s was like, and suddenly it becomes clear both why Holmes doesn’t want to be a Yarder and why the Yard needs someone like Holmes from time to time.  The thanklessness of being a policeman isn’t shied away from, even as we see our Inspectors doing their best to do right.

The mystery itself has multiple parts.  We meet a new villain, who is sincerely awful and has a history with Lestrade.  We have several different cases that the Yarders are working on, which come together in various ways, making it a fun read as you try to decide which cases are connected, if any, and how they are all connected.  The author makes a point of setting up Moriarty as potentially involved in some way at the start of the book, making it as much about the Yarders as it is about the construction and unveiling of Moriarty’s Empire- something I am VERY excited to read about.

The lives and personalities of the Canon characters are perfection, but we also have a number of amazing original characters as well that weave together with familiar ones to create a full and rich world.  The Cheatham family as a whole will intrigue anyone who enjoys complicated family dynamics; our new villain is quietly, charmingly frightening; and most importantly, we meet a new heroine, who is very worthy of joining the pantheon of Holmesian Heroines.  Clea Cheatham is clever, hardworking, tough, and yet achingly vulnerable at various points in the novel.

Another thing I enjoyed had nothing to do with the writing or the story, but the illustrations.  The author herself drew little pictures for the start of each chapter, as well as a full portrait at the very beginning of the book of members of the Yard.  The illustrations are utterly charming, and truly add to the experience of the book.

Though the novel has a number of editing issues that sometimes detract from ones enjoyment, The Adventure of the Flying Blue Pidgeon isn’t one to miss.  And if you don’t trust my word, trust our own “Marker,” David Marcum, who is quoted as saying “Marcia Wilson has discovered Scotland Yard’s Tin Dispatch Box” on the back of the book- high praise!

What About Our Watson?

While Watson isn’t as present in this book as he is in Wilson’s previous published work, he is still very much a part of this story.  The Yarders like and appreciate Watson, and in many ways would prefer to consult with him rather than Holmes.  He is the Yarders’ preferred doctor, whenever possible, because of his professionalism and willingness to be discrete.  Watson is shown, however, to be more than just a professional associate; he is shown to be friendly with them, in particular Lestrade, who he sometimes visits for social reasons rather than medical or professional ones.  The rapport they share is comfortable and warm, and it makes for interesting insights into who Watson is.

Watson is shown to contribute meaningfully to Holmes’ work as well, as Holmes defers to Watson’s medical expertise and values his insights.  He is with Holmes throughout the investigation, even, at one point, dressed in a truly hilarious disguise that Holmes gave to him.  He is deeply loyal to Holmes- sometimes frustratingly so, from the Yarders’ perspective, as he won’t tell tales out of school about Holmes- and their friendship is often reflected on by other characters, who don’t quite understand it but respect it all the same.

If a Watsonian decides to pick up this book, I would still recommend that you read You Buy Bones first, both for the continuity between the two and for the amount of Watson you’ll encounter, but this book will not disappoint if you want a good, capable, heroic Watson.

You Might Like This Book If You Like:

Canon Scotland Yard characters; lots of historical details; Moriarty machinations; workplace stories